Morning all.
Well well, Bild are reporting that Mesut Ozil has agreed terms on a new bumper signing at Arsenal. The deal includes a pay rise and a switch of shirt numbers. With Jack Wilshere out on loan at Bournemouth, a club which suggests they could make the deal permanent, the German is set to nick his number for good. If true, does that spell the end of Jack’s Arsenal career I wonder?
Talking of gossip in the papers, Arsene Wenger has has his scouts keeping tabs on Gregoire Defrel. The Frenchman has scored four goals in five games this season and reports suggest he’d love to play for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. He’s a forward who can allegedly play any position up front . A January move looming perhaps?
Big Sam got the push from the FA late yesterday afternoon which is not great surprise. What a chump he is, after waiting so long to get his ‘dream job’, he’s thrown it away. Goodness knows who England will turn to now, but Gareth Southgate will step in for the next four international fixtures.
What else has been going on, ah, Theo Walcott has been talking about himself and the way he’s improved this season, which to be fair, he has:
I spoke to many people and it maybe woke up something in my system, I don’t know. I am completely different. I just want to be better and better, people have had so much faith in me and I tend to think I need to repay people.
But I also think I need to do it for myself now. Maybe in the past I was thinking about others and not myself, [but now I want to] get that balance right, to switch back and forth about when to do the right thing.
At the moment things are great, I am enjoying life and enjoying football. There are always ups and downs, I have been through many of them but for now it is going well.
He did add that perhaps he should woken up sooner in his Arsenal career and he’s certainly right about that! He’s only 27 years old and if for the next three of four years he plays like he has been so far this season, then he might go some way to getting his doubters back onside…
Similar could be said about Arsene Wenger really. He’s here to stay and for a while yet imo, so if he can continue to get his players motivated and playing like they did against Chelsea, maybe he too could begin to get his doubters back onside. It might take a while but if he and his players have a very good season, who knows. A big ask, that’s for sure.
Around this time last season, something similar was going on at Arsenal. We’d been to Leicester, walloped them 5-2 in a very entertaining game and everything looked pretty good, then along came Olympiacos in the Champions League, a team we should have battered. But no, mistakes, costly mistakes saw us lose 3-2.
Arsenal can’t do the same this season. Having secured a valuable point away at PSG, we simply have to win our home matches if we are to have any chance of topping this group and avoiding one of the bigger teams in the next round.
As said yesterday though, Basel are no strangers to the Champions League and they’ll be out to cause an upset. Arsene Wenger has to make sure that he and his players don’t let that happen.
As we know, David Ospina will start in goal, Francis Coquelin is ruled out through injury but apart from Ramsey, Welbeck and Mertesacker, the rest are as fit as a fiddle…
Arsene Wenger says his team are on the up. We’ll see tonight and over the next few months if he’s right…
Thanks Rico but Giroud is out,something strange going on there )
He’s in training Kelsey. He’s fit I’m sure but he’s also banned for this one..
from last post:
How would Sam want to compromise all he’s done cause of a ‘mere’ 400,000 (in their world it’s not much) shows how easily he can be bought to tarnish the FA and the ‘English football’ which he is supposed to protect.
I bet lots of other clubs have been involved in underhand deals. Part of the reasons why our transfers seem to ‘drag’ cause I believe Arsene wants to keep his nose as clean as possible.
This will quickly be shoved under the carpet as the FA allegations less than a fortnight ago.
I bet ‘Soccer Aid’ are worried about where some of the money raised has gone… 😉
Rico, that post was a ripper… ?
Ramsey is due back on October 15th, so I’ve read…
When is the next Interlull..?
Interesting that Wenger should say that Giroud is out of the Burnley game. When you consider the abuse that he gets from French fans I don’t know why he doesn’t walk away from international football?!
I hope that none of our English players get called up next time around, let them have a good rest…
Quite right Rico,I forgot he was banned.
Not sure if Jack will be back or not.let’s see a) how much he plays b)if he remains injury free c)if we actually want or need him d) if wenger stays or goes.
I hope we cruise to a victory tonight too. One of the positives of Wenger is keeping us in the UCL. I don’t know what I’d be doing on such nights. I wouldn’t ask a chav though or a scouscer scum or Mou! 🙂
🙂 Kev. After the Burnley game I think…
Boring eh…
I don’t see a where we’ll need Jack in the near future.3-4 years we look sorted plus with the kids coming on..
I bet Theo will get called up…
Kelsey, so did I whilst writing the post.. Don’t think we’ll miss him though… lol
I have to smile about Walcott’s comments.It’s taken 10 years for the penny to drop but let’s see how he performs all season.Consistent wouldn’t be a bad start.
Ozil getting signed up,good(he actually smiles a lot) but what has brought about all these changes we have literally seen in a few days.
Is Wenger actually still in charge or is there a silent force within the club.
Neither do I Marshall…
Who should be England’s next permanent manager?(BBC)
Thank you for voting. Here are the current results. The full results will be online shortly after 12:00 BST.
Here are the results:
Steve Bruce
8%
8%
Sean Dyche
2%
2%
Glenn Hoddle
14%
14%
Eddie Howe
12%
12%
Jurgen Klinsmann
15%
15%
Gary Neville
3%
3%
Alan Pardew
4%
4%
Claudio Ranieri
3%
3%
Alan Shearer
9%
9%
Gareth Southgate
5%
5%
Arsene Wenger
17%
17%
Other
8%
Go Arsene…. 😉
Basel struggled agaisnt the Bulgarian outfit on the counter attack a few weeks back. If AW and his boys can exploit that we could make it another 4-0 win…
Seydou Doumbia is an interesting striker and a must watch if he starts in place of Janko.
Birkir Bjarnason and Delgado are interesting creative player.
Monreal and IWobi have to be careful on the lhs with Marek Suchy bombing forward on the rhs.
Bellerin and Theo may also have their work cut out with Lang and Steffen overlapping too.
Interestingly Xhaka has been playing as the CDM for Basel recently and so it will be interesting if our Xhaka starts in midfield tonight.
Kelsey, Giroud is injured apparently. He could miss the Burnley game says Arsene Wenger.
Thanks Rico.
I honestly couldn`t careless who the next England manager is as Arsenal are all I care about .
How fcuking easy is that job anyway !…………..I alway`s thought being the manager of a top club would be easy with the amount of money about, let`s face it any of us would buy just as well as any of these managers given the money and then delegate the training to your coaches, then just go on TV and talk about the spirit of the team an what you believe etc` etc`………just sounds better if you do it in a foriegn accent and my foriegn accents are top notch, I mean, no one can order a ruby in an Indian Restaurant like me, you would think I was from the Punjab !.
England manager is even easier !………………..no worry of transfers and just pick the best English players available and once again delegate the coaching to James Corden !…………………then once again in a more fluent way than either Steve McClaren or Joey Barton speak to the worlds press in multiple accents !
I will put this link up and thought it would be funny, but I must admit it made me feel quite sad and sorry for the man !………………………..you lot may think otherwise ! 🙂
We a lot of hope in our team and manager. We are to win this game.
Morning Rico and all. Personally I am glad that fat slug has gone. Can’t help but think it’s the tip of the iceberg and I really hope that Mourinho has been at it too. More to come hopefully.
https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/781048309934764032
LC, can’t say I’m overly fussed about England either. But I’d love them to do well…
Morning Adam. Ditto. I saw someone on Sky Sports this morning who suggested the whole game in England should be investigated, and not just target one man alone….
Mourinho has to be involved in something bad..
That vid is awful LC…
I have to say that when Chelsea sacked Mourinho he was given 1 million pounds a month for 10 months as part of the settlement and he actually gave it away to charity so as much as I despise him he has earned most probably as much as anyone in football and wouldn’t need to go down that route.
That video also made me CROSS 😉
But what he does in public, might be very different to what he does behind closed doors….
Morning all.
On Theo…..there is nothing worse in sport than someone out of form putting in little or no effort.
At least when out of form, we can appreciate a high work rate.
At the moment, Theo is in form AND is working hard, but we will know more when he loses a little touch, because if he silks or drifts in and out of games, then he’s in trouble.
I hope what he says is true, and I hope he keeps his efforts up, because ATM, he’s fantastic.
I’m watching the Chavs game again now…..his movement in the lead up to, and during the move where he scored was simply brilliant.
Sam….Joe Say…..Fergie…..aaahhhhh, we can only hope lol.
Totally agree re Theo Scott…
See what he’s like in the big games, you know, Burley, Sunderland, Stoke etc etc… lol
Hahaha Rico.
You know me and work rate 🙂
I’m loving Theo…..I hope I still do in 3-4 years time.
If he keeps that effort up, who knows how good he will end up?
Go you good thing!
That’s always been the trouble with him, one or two good games and then he dips. Hope for once he can keep it up..
Yep.
I have an inkling he will…..
I’ve thought that for the last ten years…… 😉
This is different, I think.
Hope…….
Wish lol
I imagine his form will be cruelly interrupted by an injury.
He looks a lot stronger so hopefully he’ll not suffer any horrid injuries…
What vid` ?………..the Arsene one or the Fat Samgate one ? 😀
You hit on one of my pet hates, Scott !………………..workrate !……………there is no reason whatsoever why our players cannot run as much as the Spud/Bindipper one`s ……….ie…………. pressing game !
These are young guys and no training should be out of their reach…………..unless they are like Arshavin and have their hands sown to their hips !.
Workrate is the only thing that lesser sides have against us that causes us problems !, get a bunch of talented players to work their socks off and you have a chance, this obviously needs a manager whose philosophy is the same !
Lets look at Burnley………….is there one player of theirs that would get even close to our squad let alone line up ?…………they will be organised and work their socks off, if we do the same and treat them the same as Chavs then there will be only one result !……………………they will be annihilated !
The top teams are full of players who would get in each others teams, so then it`s down to tactics !………….work harder than the opposition and this will give us the edge !………..however we cant do anything about bias reff`s and luck or bad luck…………………. depending which side of the fence you are on !.
Theo`s still shit at tackling but at least he`s putting in an effort and if he just does what I used to do to hold up play……..jockey the player, then that`s OK !.. It`s all we`ve really asked from him, put yourself about, just that extra % of workrate all around helps the team significantly and it`s so obvious to us that he has been doing it !………………..look at his interview after the game Vs chavs, he needed the wall to lean up against and was out of breath !.
The Wenger one LC..
I thought Theo put in a few good challenges against Chelsea.
He needs to learn the dark arts of getting the ball and taking the player out in one go, Rico !………………….a pair of discreetly hidden knuckledusters wouldn`t go amiss !. hahaha
Don’t be so greedy LC, he’s only just learned what a tackle is, I can guess what he thought it was… 😉
🙂 If I`m honest Rico, I have always liked Theo and was just waiting and waiting for him to come good, but when it got to the point of some ten years waiting I thought he had to go, so hopefully now the penny has dropped we can be rewarded !……………………in a way the same goes for Wenger, for years I was trying to defend him, but the penny dropped with me !………………….if he can turn it around this season and imo only a CL or Title will do that, then respect to him, but it is early days and we have been here before !………………..other than the top notch striker, we do look quite strong as long as the dreaded injury curse keeps away !
I get that too LC, he’s always been a favourite of mine too, especially as he went to the same school as me… 🙂
But like you, even I’d got fed up with his lazy attitude and rubbish performances…
Rico, who did you go to the same school with? Wenger? Rico I know you’re old, but not thAt old 🙂
Oooops that’s Marshall getting binned………… Marshall, didn’t you know Rico is nearly as old as Kev and he in ancient…!
Playing at home in our away kit tonight !…………..this has happened on two previous occasions in CL and we`ve lost both !…………third time lucky ?
Lets hope we do better than the U19`s !
Cheeky Marshall… ?
Lol Wath, I’ll need to call her to tell me medieval stories. Oops that’s the last one Rico, I promise.
What’s the secret Rico, cause am as young as Ox and I look like Costa!
In a pub waiting for the game..
Ha ha Marshall, no worries, I do like a bit of banter… Lol
I don’t believe you re your age…. 😉
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
Team to play Basel: Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Cazorla, Xhaka, Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi, Sanchez.
Subs: Cech, Gibbs, Gabriel, Elneny, Reine-Adelaide, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lucas.
How good is it to see a strong bench…..
I wonder why everyone is named with their surname except Perez.
I personally like a strong bench.Why do people always donate them to parks etc “in memory of” Is it an English thing ?
Probably because that’s his choice, isn’t it Lucas on the back of his shirt?
They are good for a nights sleep…
True Rico. Am forever in my 20s like Etoo.
COYG!
Sanchez has Alexis on the back of his shirt,I think
🙂 Marshall..
He does Kelsey…
Buona sera lovelies and hunkies
Good team, but I would have played Gibbs and Elneny instead of NAcho and Cazorla. Even if we win by just 1-0 we will stay on top of the group.
Enjoy the game, see you at h/t..
Wally again.he will be drug tested 😉
Seems that Theo is trying to make up for all the lack of attitude he had last year
nice header
You’ll soon have to drop the ‘wally’ Kelsey… Lol
second ever header he has scored.
PSG are 0-1 down to Ludogoretz
“Feo? Heed,like zee moo sinein'”
Solid start.
Morning all.
I’m hearing that noise through the television again.
The crowd is making their presence felt and it’s fantastic.
“Heez …….zee noo signin'”
That is just ridiculous.
Incredible goal.
Sir Theo Walcott
He wil want a pay rise tomorrow 😉
‘m not sure where the real Walcott is but this one can certainly stay….
Always loved Walnut!
Watching by text, well BBC sports web site on a slightly slow and overworked network. Still it’s better than nothing!
Another good game not seen, by me. They’ll play crap when I return to the sceptered isle.
This is superb football.
Simply beautiful to watch.
that was a great, yet very simple, team goal.
At last I have seen Theo run the channels between the defenders and getting behind them
Don’t watch them ever again then Wavy… ?
Some of our football is simply stunning to watch.
Could be 8-0 and that is a fact bar great keeping.
PSG 1-1 now.
Their keeper is having a cracking game…
Great first half….
how can it be 8-0 when we have had only 7 shots on target??
Because I said so 😉 ad so did the commentators.
Counting the ones off target, it could be 10-0 🙂
we had 7 shots on target and 4 off target till now
It’s a thought Rico! If I believed that by not watching my Saturday heroes they would win four trophies I would stop in a heartbeat! But, we all know it ain’t going to happen………..is it?
11-0 then devil…. Lol
Never Wavy, never….
Come on boys, finish them off….
Walcott proving me wrong, long may it continue!!!
Why do opposition keepers have blinders at the Emirates?
Could easily be double figures!!
Iwobi has pushed the Ox well and truly out of the frame.
Micko you’d better have a pint or seven in Islington tonight…..
PSG winning 3-1 while shitty and celtic are playing a 3-3 draw
as long as we win, even if the score remains as it is, we will still remain top.
We are getting far too sloppy. Need to finish this once and for all. Anderlecht?
Ditto Lee, long may he carry on the way he’s been playing. Super stuff.
As the Ox comes on! ???
Spooky…. ?
Should have buried them by now Bob…
If they get a goal, this could go horribly wrong….
Good win. Night all…
Good win.
Basel keeper was simply superb and we genuinely could have won 4-5 nil.
Job done.
http://news.arseblog.com/2016/09/video-arsenal-2-0-fc-basel-extended-highlights/
What a game yesternight! I like how we are closing business in the fast half thus ‘resting/warming up’ in the second. We coild have had a bucketload of goals. That part we need to work on. Everyone was ticking in the right gears like a well oiled rolex!
We are keeping clean sheets too! Formidable.
Theo has just started ‘earning’ his 140k, is he negotiating for another contract too 🙂 . It’s nice he is repaying Wenger, 10 years a long time!
Ox is another player am afraid he’ll have another 10 years before he clicks. Indecisive with a gaping goal yesterday. He looks really low on confidence.
Morning All
I can’t recall if Arsenal have ever taken the full 6 points from a CL double header, we’ve taken 4 a few times but not the 6. I think we’re gonna have to do that this time if we want to win the group as PSG look very strong and will probably take all 6 from Basel.
An Arsenal vs PSG shoot out at the Grove would then decide the group…
I thought Iwobi was immense yesterday evening, he is really becoming a vital cog in our team.
Even Oxlade-Chamberlain looked up for it when he came on…
Nothing motivates like uncertainty over your starting place, it’s working a treat.
Perez didn’t get on again, but I suspect that he’ll be raring to go when he next gets a chance.
I wonder how Giroud will react when when he finally gets a chance again?
Hopefully he’ll stay on the pitch…
Burnley now, and as Liverpool discovered you underestimate the Clarets at your peril, so we need to be ‘on it’ again this Sunday…
I wonder if Arsene will tweak the team, maybe a couple of changes?
Yeah Marshall, you are probably right about Ox’s confidence, because a confident player would have taken the shot after going around the goalkeeper, even at that tight an angle, but he played it safe…
He looked fit and strong though, he needs to make the most of it when he next gets a start.
The effort that Theo is putting in should be an example to him.
I’m not sure if it was my imagination or not, but to me both Theo and Ox have bulked up a bit, they both looked bigger and stronger to me, similar to how Ozil changed from being skinny to the player we see today…
Maybe Shad Forsyth has been doing some extra work with the pair of them?
Morning Rico
I still can’t get over that first half especially.Basel were better in defence than Chelsea and we tore them apart.
No Wiltshere,no Ramsey,No Debuchy,No Giroud,No Coquelin and half an Ox, didn’t seem to matter.
Kev, Ox should be on the up too. For such a quick player, he sometime can be slow on reading the game. He’d be taking time out and ‘take a look’ at himself like Theo did. Does he talk to anyone? Or he’s still missing Wilshere.
Kelsey it’s good to have this squad out there that you can trust. Lately am not even unsettled everytime a team pretends to attack cause I know our back 5 will handle it.
Ospina was spot on the few times he was called upon.
Marshall, maybe the proverbial penny hasn’t dropped with Oz yet…
Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait until he’s 27…
Morning Kev, Marshall, Kelsey and all…
Good game, good game…. 🙂
Champions League Review: Basel Brushed Off is the ACLF headline. I wonder where they got that from 😉
I think Mustafi/Kos partnership will be the main factor as to how well we do.If they stay together and get a better and better understanding with each game it will tighten up our defence.
It better drop soon for him Kev, because if Wenger leaves I doubt if the next guy will be as patent.
Morning Rico and all. Yes, we missed far too many chances last night but we controlled the game and never looked like panicking. Mustafi appears to have bought something notable to the team I would say. He is quick and senses danger with his anticipation. Overall a good performance with a couple of excellent goals.
Morning Adam.
As someone said earlier, it seems the fear of conceding so easily might be disappearing. The back four look calm and those ahead of them are doing their job well too. I know it’s early days but things might just be looking a bit brighter.
Burnley away will be a very different game, it’ll be very interesting to see how we cope with them..
Morning all.
Fantastic performance.
I’m torn a little about the score line because though the keeper was superb, we still should’ve put another few in.
Still, at least we are creating plenty of proper chances, and still looking solid at the back.
This is the Arsenal side we’ve been waiting for, though we won’t know whether it’s enough.
Rico, I’m sure Theo has bulked up around the chest/ shoulder region…..not that I was looking 🙂 🙂
He has Scott, I’ve been keeping tabs on him… 😉
Adam, Mustafi has brought a partner worthy of Kozzer 🙂
That’s one hell of a central pairing, as Costa found out 🙂
Rico, I never mentioned the thighs, and I purposely avoid looking lol
I can assure you those have bulked up too Scott… 😉
Seriously though, he really does look physically stronger. Did you see him doing his press ups?
Or Puma is making tighter kits 🙂 . Shorts are so tight even Alexis can’t fold his nowadays…
They’ve put on afew stones though.
Muscle weighs heavy Marshall…. lol
New post up now..